Cee-Lo Green...Is the Soul Machine (2004)

Intent on proving he's as multifaceted as fellow Dirty South eclectics OutKast, the former Goodie Mobber casts a wide net on his second album. The forays into ''soul'' -- warm, street-party hip-hop R&B like ''My Kind of People'' and ''All Day Love Affair'' -- sparkle, as do his playful raps. But boast-heavy collaborations with Timbaland and Ludacris drag things down. In ''Die Trying,'' Lo writes his own review: ''I can be a pretty good thug/But it wouldn't compare to a great me.''